Miss Norledge's Storeroom
  • Home
  • Resources by Topic
    • Number and Proportion
    • Algebra
    • Shape
  • Blog
    • Summer Blog Challenge
    • Staffrm 29 Days of Writing (2016)
    • Maths with Zoombinis
  • My resources
    • Downloads >
      • Mix Match
      • Rally Coach
      • Pass the Problem
    • Request a password
  • Links
    • Teaching blogs and resources
    • Web tools and apps
    • Exams and assessment
  • Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • Resources by Topic
    • Number and Proportion
    • Algebra
    • Shape
  • Blog
    • Summer Blog Challenge
    • Staffrm 29 Days of Writing (2016)
    • Maths with Zoombinis
  • My resources
    • Downloads >
      • Mix Match
      • Rally Coach
      • Pass the Problem
    • Request a password
  • Links
    • Teaching blogs and resources
    • Web tools and apps
    • Exams and assessment
  • Privacy Policy

             

  

#mathsconf7 Session 1 - Avoiding misleading assumptions

6/7/2016

 
Picture
Peter Mattock's session at #mathsconf5 (Concrete Approaches to Abstract Mathematics) was great and gave me a lot of takeaways, so signing up for this one as my first session seemed like a no-brainer. I wasn't disappointed; this time, Peter looked in depth at fifteen topics that can lead to misleading assumptions by pupils, and challenged us to come up with examples that "broke the mould".

We started with a little game; Peter asked us to come up with examples we could use to teach particular topics, such as a solvable linear equation or a diagram for teaching parallel line properties. I could sort-of see where this was going, but I decided to embrace the task as it was designed and go for my first idea for each example. We were then awarded points for the predictability of our answers - I scored a whopping 17/20 on my first go with some completely textbook examples. Peter then asked us to improve these examples to come up with a problem set that would score zero. I've neatened up (but not censored!) and scanned my notes below, with the original example on the left and improved examples on the right.
Happily, I'd predicted a few of these as I was working through them. The issues around linear equations in particular caused considerable consternation with my Year 10s a few months ago - they seemed perfectly happy to solve 2x + 5 = 15, but were really confused by 15 = 2x + 5. Many of them decided that they preferred to re-write the equation if it was "backwards" before solving, which worked fine when dealing with all positive terms, but re-writing something like 15 = 5 - 2x caused some of them even more issues, with 2x - 5 = 15 being the most common error. 

Personally, I think I sometimes avoid these more complicated problems, particularly when trying to boost confidence with pupils who struggle with mathematics, but this is something I need to work around for myself - pupils need to see more "unfamiliar" examples, particularly now we're entering the realms of a new, less predictable GCSE. 

Peter highlighted the importance of being aware of limitations on our own thinking; while I had predicted some of these assumptions, I hadn't thought of tilting a simple parallel line diagram or presenting a right angle in a non-standard orientation from the off - this is something I would address later on, often in the context of problem-solving or multi-step questions. However, maybe there is room for this when introducing a new concept, possibly presenting more examples of the right angle L-shape but in non-standard orientations, and specifically pointing out to pupils that these are all right angles.

Comments are closed.

    Categories

    All
    #29daysofwriting
    A Level
    Algebra
    Algebra Tiles
    Area
    Assessment
    Bar Model
    Bar Modelling
    Books
    Celebration Of Maths 2015
    Challenge
    Circles
    CPD
    Cuisenaire Rods
    Data
    Decimals
    Displays
    Enrichment
    Equations
    Events
    Feedback
    Formulae
    Four Operations
    Fractions
    Functional Maths
    Gcse 2015
    GCSE Past Papers
    GCSE Revision
    Graphs
    Group Work
    HCF And LCM
    History Of Maths
    Intervention
    Investigation
    Lesson
    Lesson Ideas
    Literacy
    Lotw
    Loving Maths
    Manipulatives
    Marking
    Mastery
    #mathsconf
    #mathsconf2015
    #mathsconf4
    Maths In Pictures
    Multiplication
    Musings
    Negative Numbers
    News
    Numeracy Across Curriculum
    Parenthood
    Percentages
    Pick Of Twitter
    Pie Charts
    Primes
    Probability
    Problem Solving
    Proportion Problems
    Puzzles
    Pythagoras
    Quadratics
    Quadratic Sequences
    Ratio Tables
    Real Life Graphs
    Reflection
    Resources
    Revision
    Rounding
    Schemes Of Work
    Simultaneous Equations
    Square Numbers
    Stationery
    #summerblogchallenge
    #teacher5adaysketch
    Teaching And Learning
    Technology
    Top Ten
    Trignometry
    Trigonometry
    Vectors
    Venn Diagrams
    Websites
    Weebly Tutorials
    Zoombinis


    Archives

    August 2020
    September 2018
    August 2018
    October 2017
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.